Lighting attachment for firearms.



Patented Dec. l8, I900.

v No. 664,074.

A R. B. BENJAMIN. LIGHTING ATTACHMENT FOR FIREARMS.

(Application filed. Feb. 5, 1900.]

. 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

' (No flodel NV TOR Patented Dec. l8, I900.

, n. B. BENJAMIN. LIGHTING ATTACHMENT FOR FIREARMS.

(Applicatiou'filed Feb. 5, 1900.) 1 (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

M W BY MGR .s.

wii gm 4 am 1/ UNITED STATES PATENT GFF CE.

REUBEN B. BENJAMIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO RODNEY B. SWIFT, OF SAME PLACE.

LIGHTING ATTACHMENT FOR FIREARMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 664,074, dated December 18, 1900. Application filed February 5, 1900. Serial No. 4,086- (N'o model.)

To all whom it ntoty concern:

Be it known that I, REUBEN B. BENJAMIN, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Attachments for Firearms, of which the followingis a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to a lighting attachment for firearms, my object being to provide means for facilitating the firing of the firearm in the dark.

In accordance with my invention I provide any suitable form of lamp, preferably electric, and associate therewith means whereby the lamp is caused to project an illuminating area of light in the general direction of the line of sight,whereby the object aimed at and the vicinity thereof maybe illuminated, and I further provide means whereby a concentrated beam or column of light is directed along the line of sight, whereby a bright spot will be thrown in the midst of the illu 111lnating area to indicate the point in the immediate vicinity of which the projectile will strike. 1

I have illustrated my invention in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view of my invention applied to a revolver. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same. Figs. 3 and 4 are side and end views, respectively, of a gun provided with a lamptube and having the battery situated in the stock. Figs. 5 and 6 are side and end views, respectively, of my invention applied to a cannon with wires for the lamp leading to some exterior source of energy. Fig. 7 shows the distribution of the light and its relation to the path of the bullet or missile. Figs. 8, 9, and 10 show enlarged views of the lamp-tube. Figs. 11 and 12 are views of a detached cartridge-battery. Figs. 13 and 14. show a plug adapted to be substituted for the cartridge battery with wires leading to some exterior source of electrical energy. Figs. 15 and 16 show a modified form of lamp and battery in one tube. Fig. 17 shows the concentration of the light by means ofa lens.

Like letters refer to like parts in the several figures.

To the barrel a, of the revolver 1" is attached a tube 5, containing the lamp b, the parabolic reflector b and the ground or colored glass 19 having an aperture at the center. In the same attaching-piece a is included a cartridge-battery c, which has two insulated contacts a and 0 The contact 0 is connected by means of the insulated spring 61 with the center contact of the lamp b,while the other terminal of the lamp is grounded to the body of the gun when desired by means of the lever g, pivoted at g and adapted to be moved by means of the thumb-piece 9 In Figs. 3 andat the batteryf is placed in the stock of the gunm, and a wire connects the battery with the lamp-tube b, one pole of the battery and one side of the lamp being connected with the metallic portions of the gun to complete the circuit.

In Figs. 5 and 6 an arc-light is shown in the lamp-tube connected by means of wires with an exterior battery or other source of energy. I also provide an adjusting-screw h, adapted to alter the angle of the tube 1) to accord with the desired range. The circuitbreaker 7c is shown near the breech of the cannon.

As shown in Fig. 7, the rays of light Z Z emanating from the lamp-tube 17 through the colored glass will form the lighted surface Z of some dimension, while the rays a coming through the hole in the glass will form the brilliantly-lighted spot it just below where the line of sight 8 strikes the object.

Figs. 8, 9, and 10 show an enlarged view of the tube b, from which the position and size of the glass 19 can be better understood and in which the attachment of the lamp 1) is shown more clearly.

Figs. 11 and 12 show the cartridge-battery a detached and illustrate the position and relation of the contacts 0 and 0 In Figs. 13 and 14. a form of plug is shown adapted to take the place of the cartridgebattery. 0 and c ;but instead of having means for generating electrical energy it merely incloses the wires 0 which connect with some extraneous source of energy.

In Fig. 15 the lamp and battery are shown combined in one tube. The rim contact of the lamp and one pole of the battery are'both grounded to the exterior of the tube. An insulating-piece i is placed between the center contact of the lamp and the other pole of the battery, the circuit being completed by means of wires '0 with a circuit-breaker at is.

In Fig. 17 the lamp 1') is shown situated at A rethe focus of the parabolic reflector b fiecting-lens-o is inserted in the center of the end I) of the tube for the purpose, as shown in the drawings, of concentrating the rays of light upon one point of the object. The lens may be inserted at the center of a transparent end piece.

The operation of my invention is apparent from the drawings and their explanation. A large area of light is cast upon the object through the colored or ground glass, and a small definite spot of light is formed near the intersection of the line of sight and the object aimed at by the rays which come through the central hole or lens. When the central hole or lens is provided in an opaque end piece, a concentrated beam of light alone re- It has the same electrical contacts suits. When abulls-eye is employed, an illuminating ray is secured.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a firearm, of

means associated therewith for projecting an illuminating area of light in the general direction of the line of sight, and means for projecting a concentrated beam or column of light along the line of sight to produce a bright spot in the midst of the illuminating area, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a firearm, ofa tube adapted to be mounted thereon, a reflector at the rear end of said tube, a lamp in front of said reflector, a lens or equivalent means at the forward end of said tube for projecting a concentrated ray or column of light in the direction of the line of sight, the end of said tube surrounding said lens being adapted to project an illuminating area in the general direction of the line of sight, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses. I

REUBEN. B. BENJAMIN. Witnesses:

W. CLYDE JONES, M. R. RocHFoRD. 

